Combined roundabout and teeter-totter

ABSTRACT

A TRUNCATED PYRAMIDAL HOUSING ENCLOSES A MOTOR-DRIVEN SHAFT. A BOXLIKE CASE PROVIDES A TURNABLE AND TILTABLE HEAD AND IS SWIVELLY MOUNTED ATOP THE SHAFT BY A BALL AND SOCKET JOINT. A BOTTOM BEAM HAS A MEDIAN PORTION SUSPENDED FROM THE HEAD OUTWARD AND ENDS EQUIPPED WITH SEATS. A TOP BEAM PROVIDES A STABILIZING TRUSS WHICH IS BALANCED SO THAT THE SEATS ARE SELF-LEVELLING WHEN NOT BEING USED.

United States Patent 571,626 11/1896 Simpson 1,261,149 4/1918 Morris inventors Waldo W. Schoenwald Box 544; Virgil L. Farstad, Box 1842, Minot, N. Dak. 58701 Appl. No. 768,071

Filed Oct. 16, 1968 Patented June 28, 1971 COMBINED ROUNDABOUT AND TEETER- TOTTER 6 Claims, 4 Drawing Figs.

11.8. C1 272/30, 272/54 Int. Cl A63g l/32, A63g 1 1/00 Field of Search 272/30, 54, v

55, 56, 31 (A), 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 52, 52.5,1 (A), I

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,619,325 3/1927 Anderson .1 272/30 1,659,735 2/1928 Jamison 272/30 1,746,260 2/1930 Kenney 272/30 2,422,552 6/1947 Jensen..... 272/1(C) 2,750,189 6/1956 Huth 272/30X 2,781,193 2/1957 Gowing 272/30 FOREIGN PATENTS 141 1/26 2/1927 Australia 272/30 199,236 6/1923 Great Britain 272/30 421,309 12/1934 Great Britain 272/29 Primary Exqminer-George .1. Mario Assistant Examiner-Amold W. Kramer Attorney-Clarence A. OBrien & Harvey B. Jacobson ABSTRACT: A truncated pyramidal housing encloses a motor-driven shaft. A boxlike case provides a tumable and tiltable head and is swivelly mounted atop the shaft by a ball and socket joint. A bottom beam has a median portion suspended from the head outward and ends equipped with seats. A top beam provides a stabilizing truss which is balanced so that the seats are self-levelling when not being used.

PATENTEDJUN28|97| 3.588.100

Waldo W. Schoenwa/d Vlrgl/ L. Farsfad IN VIENTORS COMBINED ROUNDABOUT ANlD TEETER-TOTTER This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in a teeter-totterwhich is characterized by a shaft-sup ported top and bottom twin rail beams carried by a novel head means and equipped with terminal seat boards and wherein the shaft can, if desired, be rotated by a coin-controlled electric motor.

Briefly the herein disclosed teeter-totter is characterized by base means which lends itself to use indoors or out of doors and which is characterized by an upstanding shaft. Head means is provided atop the upper end of the shaft. Top and bottom beams are joined intermediate their respective outer ends to the head means and serve at their respective outer ends to support handle-equipped seat boards.

More specifically the base means embodies a horizontal foundation frame which is capable of residing firmly and flatwise on a relatively stationary support surface. Outwardly and downwardly inclined struts have lower ends which are connected to the respective corner portions of the frame and have upper ends connected with a cooperating cap plate. The overall frame structure is thus substantially truncated pyramidal in appearance and shape and the enclosing panels serve to encase or house' a mount for an electric motor, the lower bearing-supported end of the aforementioned shaft in a manner permitting the motor-driven shaft to be operatively connected with the upstanding shaft. Coin-controlled means for the motor is accessibly mounted on one of the panels. The shaft can be motor driven if desired or can remain at rest while the beam-equipped head means is caused by the action of the occupants to turn in either direction when propelled by the occupants and while, at the same time, the desired seesaw or up-and-down action is had.

An object of the invention, generally stated, is to structurally and functionally improve upon similarly constructed and performing prior art teeter-totters and, in so doing, to provide one wherein the power-driven and orbiting feature is optional with the occupants. Then, too, novelty is predicated on the unique construction and arrangement of beams and the hollow boxlike head supporting the beams and wherein the overall beam and seat assembly is self-leveling when the same is unoccupied and at rest.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in perspective of a teeter-totter constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention and showing the aforementioned occupant accommodating seat assembly in its normal self-leveling or at rest position.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view with parts in section and elevation detailing the construction of the base means.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view with parts in section and elevation taken approximately on the plane of the vertical line 3-3 of FIG. 2 looking in the direction of the arrows.

And FIG. 4 is a bottom view in plan which can be said to be taken on the plane of the line 44 of FIG. 3.

Taking up first the self-standing truncated pyramidal base means it will be noted that it is designated by the numeral 6. More specifically it comprises a substantially rectangular enclosed frame 8 which is made up of tubular coplanar interconnected frame members 10. Median portions of two oppositely disposed frame members are joined by a pair of coplanar spaced parallel complemental members which are denoted by the numeral 12. These two frame members 12 serve not only to rigidify the frame 8 but to provide support means for the depending vertical flanges 14 of an inverted open-ended channel-shaped mount 16. The web portion 18 of the mount is provided with bearing means at the right characterized by an aperture and an aligned fixedly mounted washer 20 to accommodate the lower sprocket-equipped end portion 22 of the upstanding shaft 24. To the ends desired a thrust shoulder is provided at 26. The left-hand end portion of the web is provided with and supports a suitable electric motor 28 and a cooperating speed reducing component 30. The motor driven sprocket means is denoted generally at 32 and this means serves to accommodate an endless sprocket chain 34 whereby motion is transmitted to the shaft by way of the coacting sprockets and sprocket chain 34. The numeral 36 designates coin controlled means (not detailed) which is operatively connected with the motor to bring the latter into play to operate the shaft 24 whenever necessary or desired.

Continuing with the base means it will be seen that the numeral 38 designates a plurality of upwardly converging struts (alternatively downwardly diverging struts) the lower ends of which are joined to the comer portions of the frame members 10. The upper converging ends 40 are connected to a cap plate 42 which is provided with bearing means at 44 with which the end thrust flange 46 is connected. The base means also includes suitably inclined and strut-mounted panels 48. Accordingly the base means encases or houses the motor 28, the mount 18, the shaft 24 and coacting component parts.

The seesaw proper is best shown in FIG. 1 wherein it will be seen that it is self-leveling when it is in its normal at rest position. This assembly or means comprises a bottom beam 50 characterized by a pair of elongated coplanar spaced parallel rails 52 whose outer end portions 54 are attached to and support the seat boards 56. The inner end portions of the seat boards are provided with upstanding fixedly mounted U- shaped handle members 58. The complemental top beam 60 is characterized by a pair of spaced parallel rails 62 which are directly above the underlying rails 52 and which are centrally bent to provide a novel twin beam truss.

The aforementioned head means is denoted by the numeral 64 and as best shown in FIG. 3 it is of hollow boxlike form and comprises a top wall 66, a bottom wall 68 having a central opening 70 for the upper end portion 72 of the shaft. The top and bottom walls are marginally connected by sidewalls 74. The central apertured portion 76 of the top wall is provided with a fixedly mounted collar 78 having an internal grooved periphery which seats and surrounds a ball jointing member 80. This ball and socketjoint is held in place by an appropriate clip or fastener 82. The numeral 84 designates a limit stop or shoulder cooperable with the ball joint member in the manner shown in FIG. 3.

The aforementioned opening or aperture in the bottom wall 68 and designated with particularity at 70 is in the nature of an open-ended slot, that is, a slot which extends transversely across the central portion of the bottom wall 68 and through the sidewalls of the hollow head and which is in proportion in width to the cross-sectional dimension of the shaft 24 which extends therethrough. The slot arrangement and oriented sidewalls define stop shoulders as at 86 (FIG. 4) which come into engagement with the shaft while the overall seat assembly supported by the ball and socket means 88 (FIG. 3) performs its function. i

It will be further noted that the intermediate or median portions of the aforementioned rails 52 and 62 respectively are welded or otherwise connected to the bottom and top walls 68 and 66 of the boxlike head.

As already mentioned the construction and arrangement is such that the motorizing or power means can be brought into play optionally to drive the shaft 24 while at the same time, the occupants of the seats or seat boards 56 can rock up and down in a well-known see-sawing manner. It is evident however that the motor means need not be brought into play and under the circumstances the occupants can seesaw up and down and propel themselves to the left or right throughout a complete circle or a part circle as the case may be.

It is submitted that a careful consideration of the views, singly and collectively, will enable the reader to obtain a clear and comprehensive understanding of the construction and arrangement of parts, the manner in which they are oriented and coordinated for best results and the manner in which the teeter-totter is preferably used. Accordingly, a more extended description is deemed to be unnecessary.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described.

We claim:

1. A teeter-totter for use indoors or outdoors comprising: base means adapted to reside atop a relatively stationary support surface, a shaft carried by and having an upper end portion rising perpendicularly above the plane of said base means, head means having axially located ball and socket means operatively joined to said upper end portion, a pair of spaced individual seats for at least two companion occupants, and connecting means interconnecting said seats with each other and said head means, said head means permitting the seats to rotate in a circular orbital path and simultaneously seesaw up and down as may be desired by the seated occupants, said head means comprising a one-piece hollow boxlike case having spaced parallel top and bottom walls joined in spaced parallel relation by marginally encompassing sidewalls, said ball and socket means being oriented and cooperable with an axial portion of said top wall, a central portion of said bottom wall having an elongated slot extending across the same and aligned with said ball and socket joint, and a portion of said shaft adjacent said slot passing upward through the medium of the ball and socket means and said slot being of a width slightly greater than the cross-sectional dimension of said shaft and of a length appreciably greater than said cross-sectional dimension.

2. The teeter-totter defined in and according to claim 1, and, in combination, a prime mover embodied in said base means and having operating connection with said shaft, said shaft being rotatably supported on said base means, said prime mover being operable when desired by being equipped with cooperating coin control means, whereby said shaft can be power driven or not as desired by the occupants.

3. The teeter-totter defined in and according to claim 1, and wherein said ball and socket means comprises an endless annular collar having an outer peripheral surface fixed in a centralized opening provided therefor in said top wall and an inner channeled surface providing a ball seating socket, and a complemental ball fixed on a coacting upper end portion of said shaft and cooperatively and fittingly seated in said socket.

4. The teeter-totter defined in and according to claim 1, and wherein said connecting means comprises a pair of spaced parallel coplanar beam rails having outer end portions secured to and supporting the respective seats and intermediate portions underlying and fixed to the bottom wall of said case, and a similar pair of truss rails above the respective beam rails and having outer end portions fixed to coacting portions of said beam rails and median portions bent and fixed atop the top wall of said case, said beam and said truss rails being balanced and self-levelling when said seats are unoccupied.

5. A teeter-totter comprising base means embodying a horizontal foundation frame adapted to reside flatwise and firmly atop a stationary support surface and provided with a pair of coplanar spaced parallel companion braces, an inverted open-ended channel-shaped mount embodying a web, said web having depending flanges aligned with and fixed atop respectively cooperable ones of said braces, said web having first bearing means, a plurality of upwardly inclined converging struts having outwardly downwardly inclined ends anchored on cooperating members of said frame, a cap plate fixed atop the respective upper converging ends of said struts and centrally apertured and provided with second bearing means in a plane above and aligned with said first bearing means, a vertical shaft having a lower end portion journaled in said first bearing means, an intermediate upper portion journaled in said second bearing means, and an upper end portion projecting above the second bearing means and provided with a fixedly mounted ball joint member, a motor cooperatively mounted atop the web of said mount and having a drive shaft drivingly connected to the coacting lower end of said shaft panels mounted on cooperating surfaces of said struts an providing a motor and shaft housing, a one-piece hollow boxlike case providing head means, said case having top and bottom walls marginally joined by marginally surrounding and interconnecting sidewalls, said bottom wall central portion having an elongated slot of a width slightly greater and of a length appreciably greater than the cross-sectional dimension of said shaft, said top wall being centrally apertured with a collar fixedly mounted and lodged in the aperture, said collar having an inner channeled peripheral surface providing a complemental seating surface for and with which the ball joint member is operatively cooperable, a pair of individual seat boards for occupants, and seat board assembling and connecting means interconnecting said seat boards with each other and also said head means.

6. The teeter-totter defined in and according to claim 5, and wherein said connecting means comprises a pair of spaced parallel coplanar beam rails having outer end portions secured to and supporting the respective seats and intermediate portions underlying and fixed to the bottom wall of said case, and a similar pair of truss rails above the respective beam rails and having outer end portions fixed to coacting portions of said beam rails and median portions bent and fixed atop the top wall of said case. 

